The valley green was so serene

Drakien Lusk · 02-01-2012, 10:34 PM

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EDIT: Someone's IM'd me about this thread, so it's taken now! Sorriess. :3 (Happens about mid-afternoon, Drifter Bay/Halcyon Mountain area near the Pictou river.) :: Word Count → 1089

Drakien had left the festival for a while to return to what he'd come to consider 'his' cave in Drifter Bay, close to the river and near the Halcyon mountains. Breixo seemed relieved to be away from other horses, and for the first time since they'd come to these lands Drakien pulled the blanket off his back and brushed him a bit before setting him out to wander in the marshy lands of Drifter Bay. The horse snorted, shaking his head with the gold-plaited ring gleaming in his nose, and wandered off, tail flicking and head held high. So long as he didn't wander far--and Drakien knew he wouldn't, not more than a few miles--Breixo was free to roam; he was trained to return at the sound of a howl from his master, and the wolf highly doubted that all that training would simply go up in smoke.

As the palomino disappeared over a rise, Drakien settled back against the entrance of his cave, his arms crossed over his chest and his ears laid flat as he gazed out over the tall grasses before him. There were a few packs around this area, he knew, and he'd heard rumors of one more banding together farther north, but he didn't let that bother him, as he was still in neutral territory and not, at least that he was aware of, anywhere close to trespassing. Still, some people were hostile just to be hostile, and he'd have to be on the lookout for intruders into his own small slice of paradise.

After a long moment of nothing, he let out a ruffled sigh, and shook his head, running a hand through his long mane before retreating farther into the den. He rummaged for a moment in his bags, and managed to find the furs he'd traded for, both with Amy and with other merchants. There were a few golden fox pelts, and of course the bears that Amy had given him. He sorted through them, somewhat surprised to find that he had more than enough to make his cloak; there were probably enough for two, if the second was small. He gathered the three bear pelts, one a plain, gleaming brown, the other two black and ringed with cinnamon, respectively. After another moment, he fished out the Romani dagger that Amy had also traded him for, and balanced it on his palm for a moment before moving back out to the smoother rocks of the entrance. There was a slight overhang, rather like a front porch, and he settled there, spreading out the black pelt first and holding the dagger carefully in one hand.

Singing rather tunelessly to himself, he began cutting careful patches out of the pelt, setting them aside in a slowly growing pile as the day wore on. He didn't know what he planned to do with the different, unevenly-cut patches just yet, but as he had no dyes to speak of, he rather hoped there would be enough to at least sew the three different pelts together in an interesting fashion. And the foxes...perhaps those could be made into some sort of hood.

With ideas flitting through his head and a more mechanical routine settling into his limbs, Drakien was too far gone to notice much of anything except the sound of his own voice and the smooth, sharp slice of his blade. It was therefore a surprise when Breixo returned, stamping his feet urgently and whinnying. Drakien very nearly cut himself at the display, and looked up sharply, watching the stallion in confusion. "Ce este greşit, Breixo?" He demanded, and brushed his hands off, tucking the knife into his waistband and moving to calm the startled stallion. Breixo would not be calmed, however, and pulled away at his touch, very clearly wanting Drakien to follow him.

"Breixo, what's gotten into you?" He murmured, and reached out again, startled when the Vanner actually snapped his teeth at the hand. The horse stamped his feet again, and Drakien tilted his head, watching the horse warily. Breixo was more concerned with his panic, however, and as he stamped and turned, shaking his head wildly, Drakien saw the deep claw marks in his hindquarters. No wonder he didn't want the male touching him! Moving forward again, he attempted to calm the horse, his ears pricked for any signs of the cougar that must have done this.

"Calm, Breixo! Calm." He soothed, and made the low whickering noise he'd learned as a young horse trader which was meant to soothe. It didn't work as well as it should have, however, and in the end Drakien was forced to lunge for the tick ring through Breixo's nose, twisting and pulling in the hopes that the new, fresh pain would distract him from the fear. The horse whinnied again, attempting to toss his head and only hurting himself more as Drakien put all of his weight onto the ring, and finally, trembling, let his legs collapse beneath him. Blood oozed from the wounds, and Drakien stroked his companion's long nose, murmuring soothing words of comfort as he did so, before he moved around to inspect them.

They dug deep, tearing into the muscle; Drakien found himself surprised Breixo had remained standing so long, and managed to make it back from wherever it was he'd encountered the beast--a cougar, probably--without collapsing. The wounds were bleeding freely now, though, and Drakien hissed uncomfortably, laying his hand along the hip just above them and shaking his head. That Breixo had gotten away only made him prouder, and he hoped the damned cat had gotten a good kick to the skull, too. There was no way to tell, though, not with the red dripping down his flanks. With a deep breath, Drakien rose, running his hand up Breixo's neck.

"Wait here, my boy." He murmured soothingly, watching the horse's eyes roll wildly. "Just wait here and rest. I'll come back with something to help you." He promised, and ran his hand up the horse's neck a few more times before he set out, tucking his dagger into his waistband. There had to be some familiar plants around these parts, and he knew well enough how to make a poultice; he didn't have the equipment for it, but with the river near by, he was certain he could come up with something. He only hoped it didn't take too long, or poor Breixo might be too far gone to save.

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